The Connecticut Historical Society (CHS) in Hartford created 3DHD tours of their exhibits as part of their “Bring CHS Home” initiative that allows visitors to explore CHS programs from home during the pandemic. The ability to embed additional content in the virtual exhibitions, including website links, videos and surveys, enhances the exhibitions in ways that are either impossible or more difficult to do in the physical installations.

Four of the virtual exhibitions funded by Connecticut Humanities are available on the CHS website:

Making Connecticut, an award-winning overview history of Connecticut, Inn and Tavern Signs, A Vote of Her Own: The Long Fight for Woman Suffrage and Connecticut and WWII Manufacturing created by CHS to complement Manufacturing Victory, a traveling exhibit from the National WWII Museum. The fifth exhibit, Fighting on the Homefront: Propaganda Posters of WWII, corresponded with the physical installation of a traveling exhibit from the Detroit Historical Society on view at CHS August 2020 – January 2021.

The photographic technology of the 3DHD virtual exhibitions allows visitors to view exhibition content up close, even zooming in on artifacts that might be difficult to examine in person due to exhibit case vitrines or a visitor’s visual impairment. Video content was also embedded in the virtual exhibitions, including ASL-interpreted videos of select exhibit labels and recordings, as well as kid-focused educational videos that are not accessible in the physical exhibits.

To learn more and visit the exhibits, go to the Connecticut Historical Society’s website.